Battery-contact.



J. H. GUGLER.

BATTERY CONTACT. APPLICATION FILEDJ '25, 1908.

Patented July 27, 1909.

UNITED mar.

JULiUs H. GUGLER, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BATTERYYCOMPANY, OF- MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION or ARIZONA TERRITORY.

I Toall whom it may concern:

BATTERY-CONTACT.

g I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 27, 1909.

Application ma July 25, 1908. Serial No. 445,394.

Be it known that I, JULIUS H. GUGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the'county of Hennepin and. State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Battery-- Contacts; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip-' tion ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to lead or bind ng post construction-of primary batteries, or to that type of battery in which a carbon or graphite electrode is used. Such electrodes are subject to this seriousdefect, that there is a rapid and injurious disintegration. of the connecting lead or binding post by electrolytic and acid action on the I The object of metallic partsiwhich results in abnormally high resistance between the metallic, lead or binding post of a carbon 'or graphite electrode.

y invention is toeliminate of the metallic connecting lead or binding postof .a carbon or graphite battery elec trode, without changing the shape of such electrode; and, further, to reduce to a mini mum the resistance between such connecting lead or binding post and carbon or graphite electz odeu To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims. As carried out in practice, the

objects of the invention have been accomplished by seating a metallic cup in-the carbon or graphite electrode and partly filling the said cup with mercury and dipping the contact lead into the said mercuryg Preferably thecup is constructed of nickel, but may be made of any metal that will not readily. I

' li cally electro-plated, and thiselectro-platealloy with mercury.

'In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indivertical section, on the line aa ar2 =v ofFig. 2, some parts beingbroken away, showing a carbon or graphite electrode constructed in accordanoe with my invention, and Fig. 2

is a plan view of the same;

The metallic cup '1 is preferably setin to the top of the primary battery electrode 2,

with sufficient clearance to permit insulating material 3 to be placed entirely around said cup 'and under the bottomthereof. This insulation 3 may be a material such as tar,

asphalt, beeswax, paraflin, or combinations thereof, or, in fact, any other suitable acid proof insulating compound, and the wall which surrounds the said metallic cup should be at least five one-hundredths of an inch in thickness. This insulating material serves to insulate the entire lower portion of the metallic cup and thus prevents any electrolytic action due to moisture, which is some times present, and further serv'esto' securely hold the metallic cup 1 in position in its seat in the electrode. plishinent of this result, the electrode 2 is preferably first heated to the melting point.

.of the insulating compound and the entire surface of the seat formed in the said elec- 'trode for "the metallic cup 1 is covered and saturated with the hot insulating material.

To facilitate the accom- The cup is also dipped into the hot insulatingmaterial, care being taken to prevent any of the compound from running lnto the cup. The. cup is then forced into position while the insulating material is hot. At its upper edge, the cup 1 is provided with a thin out-turned flange 4 which is preferably set'fiushj with the top surface of the electrode. The electrode, with the on in position, is then allowed to cool. usually be the case, a plug is placed in the upper end of the cup while it is being dipped and placed in osition, this plu should now be removed an the entire top e ge of thecup flange 4 should be scraped-so as to present a clean metallic surface. The upper .edge of the electrode 2 should also be scraped clean so that any foreign material will be removed therefrom. 1 The electrode, on its upper edge,

I, as will in then nickel-plated or Otherwise metalis extended on toand over the flange 4 of the metallic cup 1, the amount of surface electrolated depending upon the class of service or which the electrode is constructed. For heavy ampere discharge, the entire top edge and a portion of the top sides downward from the top are plated. For low ampere discharges, .a correspondingly smaller surface of the electrode should be plated, but in all cases, of course, this electro-plat-ing should metallically connect the upper edge or portion of the metallic cup 1 to the upper ,edge portion of the electrode. This electroplating may be accomplished by using the usual electro-plating solution into which the carbon electrode with the applied metallic cup is dipped, and the depth of the immersion depending on the amount of surface to be plated. For the purpose of insuring a proper density .of plating between the cup and the electrode, a small connecting 'wire may with advantage be temporarily soldered to the top edge of the metallic cup, and

this, together with the electrode, should be electrically connected to the negative pole of the elctro-plating circuit. It is found by experience that nothing need be done to prevent the electro-plating from going into the cup, as it will not plate the interior of the cup to an extent that will interfere with its usefulness.

After a sufficient amount of metal is de-- posited, as above described, the electrode isremoved from the platingsolution andal- I lowed to thoroughly dry. The connecting plating wire to the cup'should then be removed, and the metal cup closed by a temporary plug or screw,- and the head of the electrode should then be dipped in a hot insulating compound consisting preferably of beeswax and parafiin, or other suitable thin acid resisting insulating compound, and allowed to remain for a period of about two hours. This treatment prevents the acid of the cell from working up underneath the plating. The electrode is then allowed to cool and the temporary plug or screw, is.removed from the cup and a poreclain threaded plug 5, having an axial opening, is screwed into the (up, a soft rubber washer 6 being preferably placed between the metallic cup and the porcelain plug. The porcelain plug is then removed and the entire head of the electrode with the porcelain plug is dipped into a compound of hot tar and asphalt. To insure a perfect protective covering over the plated surface, the electrode will usually be dipped a third time," being allowed to partially cool between each dipping. The

metallic cup 1 is then partly filled with mercury as indicated at Y. The binding .post- 7,'with a depending nickel contact ex 'tension pin 8 is thenscrewed into the .porcelain plug 5, a rubber washer 9 being preferably inserted between said'plug 5 and the head of the said binding pos lVhat I claim and desire to secure is: 1. The combination with an electrode, of a metallic contact cup seated therein and insu lated therefrom, except at the upper portion ofsaidcup.

2. The combination with an electrode, of a metallic contact cup seated therein, and electro-plating forming a solid and permanent electrical 'connection between the said. cup and, electrode, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an electrode, of a metallic contact cup seated therein, and elec- 'tro-plating electrically connecting the upper portion of said cup to the upper portion'of said electrode; i

4. The combination with a carbon or graphite battery electrode of a metallic contact cup seated in the body of said electrode and electrically connected therewith only at its upper end portion. v 5. The combination with a carbon or graphite battery electrode of a metallic contact cup containing mercury, the body of the said cup being insulated from said electrode except at its upper edge, and an electroplating electrically connecting the upper end portion ofsaid cup to the upper portionof said electrode.

6. The combination with a carbon or graphite'battery electrode, of a, metallic contact cup seated in the said electrode con taining mercury, the body of said cup being insulated from said electrode except at its upper edge, the said cup having at its upper I extremity an outer flange, and an electroplating electrically connecting the sald outer flange of said contact cup to the upper end portion of said electrode, a plug ofinsuT lating'materi'al'closing the upper end of said Y In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of .two witnesses.

JULIUS H. anemia. l/Vitnesses:

J. WV. WEGNER, JAS. C. PETERSON. 

